Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-01-15
TIE TOWN OF LIE MARS.
AN IOWA COLONY OF ENGLISH
MEN DESCRIBED BY HERMAN.
Striking individuality of the Place.
Teaching Aristocrats Farming at 5000
IA Ytal-Days of Anarchy and Blood
shed-Some "Reminiscences.
lapeclal carlespondenre.l

NEw YoRk, Jan. 81 have lived in many
communities in my time; but in none that
possessed a more striking individuality than
LIE Mars, the English colony located in north
western Iowa, twenty-five miles east Of Sioux
City.
Picturesquely situated on the banks of the
Floyd river, and surrounded by a seemingly
limitless prairie, its spires and housetops can
he seen for a distance Of thirty miles on any
of the bright, clear, wonderful days that
make tho climate of imperial Iowa the most
pleasant in the world.
The Duke of Sutherland, travelling through
the west when LIE Mars was a nameless shanty
settlement, saw the potentialities OF the place,
and bought ca, 900 acres of land in the Yicin-
ity. A little later a London syndicate of fab
ulous wealth purchased great tracts of terri
tory in the county, and advertised its advan-
tages throughout England. The present col
ony was the result, a colony consisting Of
several full-fedged lords, n whole raft of the
younger sons of British noblemen, and many
representatives of the middle classes, with a
small sprinkling of what is known as the
peasantry.
The more substantial members of the col
ony bought farms of the syndicate, built
handsome farm houses and undertook the
cultivation of the soil. They certainly intro.
duced new methods in that d~irection-meth.
dds that made the average American look on
with a curious smile. To illustrate: Captain
the Honorable So-and-So advertised in the
English papers that he would teach thirty
young men the science of farming for the
sum of 9l20 5000 each a year. The result
was that the farm of Captain the Honorable
was soon supplied with aristocratic ,aborers.
Wealthy young men from the middle classes
also flocked over to take advantage of similar
offers, until LIE Mars had at least 500 agricul
turists in its vicinity who couldn't tell a plow
from q pumpkin.
Then the fun began. The boys would dc
little dribs of work, and make up for it by
coming to town and painting it a ripe, star.
ing red. Many of them were spendthrifts
money flowed like water, and LIE Mars begar
to boom. Fine business blocks sprung up as il
by magic; Immigration poured in, and the
town became the center of commerce for 6
vast area OF country.
But it had dark days with which to con
tend when the lawless element gained the up
per hand. 1t was during this period Of an
archy that thirty-one attempts wer,
made, inside of a year, to lay the
town in ashes. Who was the frebug
Suspicion finally conferred upon a member
of one of the oldest families of the aristoc
racy-a young man whose father at that tim,
held a position second to that of no judge il
England The young man was arrested
tried, acquitted, and then distinguished him
S'lf by marrying a woman of the pave ant
becoming a well digger by profession.
lie Mars is celebrated for its horse race
and other outdoor sports. It has its regula
Derby week, when the English take complet
possession Of the town. Hundreds of me,
can lie seen in jockey caps, flaming scarle
sliirts and. black knickerbockers, on higl
n;s'tisz horses. sngiiiisi, ladies drive thruugi
ITS streets in queer little carts, or, if on foo
they invariably carry canes, and are fol
lowed by n parcel of dogs, generally grey
hounds The English flag floats everywhere
English airs are footed and drummed in al
directions, and the English accent is heard O
ev.rg hand. WILL HUBBARD HERMAN.